Never More
by Blue Pixie Dust
Summary: Lilly, Wendy's second daughter, lives a hard life with her sister and abusive father after her mother has died. When one night, Jane tells Lilly about a boy named Peter Pan and she is determined to find this legendary being and go on her own adventure.
1. My Papa's Waltz

Chapter 1: My Papa's Waltz

Lilly rested in her bed looking up at the ceiling of her room with tears in her eyes. What had she done? What had made her father so angry? She was trying to be a good little girl but she would always mess things up. Why?

She held her head tenderly as she wished for the pain to stop as it pounded relentlessly the same way her father had. The cut on her ear from a shard of a china dish stung unbearably and Lilly cried even harder. She tried to stop, holding her breath and thinking that would calm herself but it served to do nothing else but make her feel the blood rushing to her head. She let out the imprisoned air and tried just taking deep breaths. This was a normal occurrence for ten-year-old Lilly and she had learned quickly that if she didn't keep quiet after her violent punishment from her father, then he would become annoyed with her howling and then teach her another lesson. She didn't want to come anywhere near him for the rest of the night after what had just happened. Lilly along with her sister and father were eating supper and afterwards, Lilly had offered to take the dishes to the maid to be washed. She cheerfully picked up each plate and on the way to the kitchen, she stepped on the hem of her long dress and fell forward, dishes crashing and shattering when she hit the wood paneled floor. Not only did she have to deal with a small scratch on her ear from the plates, but she had to deal with her father, who yanked her up to her feet then shouted at her for being clumsy. He yelled that those were some of the best dished that she had just destroyed and he followed his correction with a firm slap across her cheek. She yelped in pain and tried to bring her hand up to her red cheek but her father refused to let her try to ease her pain. He instead told her to stand still as he grabbed a large metal spoon from the kitchen and continued with his punishment. Her rear end and her back were in the most pain until she started screaming when he would hit her.

"You've got nothing to cry about! I'm not even hurting you that badly," he said crossly and took the spoon and knocked her upside the head and then said, "Now you've got something to cry about."

She would look desperately to her sister through blurry, tearful eyes but her sister Jane was too scared to intervene. Jane simply sat at the table with her eyes closed and winced every time he would strike the poor girl. Now, you might be thinking that Jane is a terrible sister for never trying to defend her sibling. Although in reality, she wanted to so badly. She once had pleaded with her dad to stop beating a small, seven-year-old Lilly for making a mistake when her father then shifted his glaring gaze to his eldest child and gave Jane the same beating he had just given Lilly for interfering with Lilly's discipline. Lilly never blamed her sister after that for not coming to her side.

She cried softly remembering a time when this would never have happened. When the house was full of love and forgiveness and Lilly didn't have to worry about being beaten. Maybe scolded, but never stricken to the point of tears. Her whimpers and sniffles were heard by Jane, who was across the hall. Lilly's sister carefully opened the door and let herself in and spied the small, shivering form curled up in a bed with the blanket up to her chin. Her light footsteps caused the floor to creek and Lilly gasped and turned around to face the intruder. She relaxed when she saw who it was and sat up.

"Are you alright, Lilly?" Jane asked gently and sat down on the edge of the bed. Lilly did not reply with words but with an embrace. Her only source of security now was Jane and she held onto her as if her life depended on it. Jane returned the hug and patted her head, whispering soft words of encouragement.

"Oh, it's alright, Lilly Billy. It'll be fine, you'll see. Father loves us so he wants us to grow up right. He's trying to teach us to do well at things," she said and Lilly loosened her grip and looked Jane in the eyes while still clasping her hands behind Jane's neck.

"Then why does he call me stupid and useless? I try to be good like taking the dishes to the kitchen tonight. I didn't mean to drop them," said Lilly whose breathing was so uneven that she hiccupped in-between words.

"He was just angry. You know how harsh I can get when you take my things without asking my consent. I don't mean it, and neither does Father. He just forgets to be patient sometimes. So do not blame yourself. You try, and that's all that matters."

"Jane, will you stay in my room tonight?"

"If it will make you feel better," answered Jane and Lilly lifted the covers up to let her sister in.

"You're almost as big as Mum was now," said Lilly as her sister snuggled into the bed next to her.

"Well I'm almost fifteen. I'm practically an adult now so I guess I am about as big as Mother was."

"You remind me of her."

"Do I? How?"

"You're smart. And you look like her. And you're funny like Mum was. Lots of reasons."

"Do you remember Mother that well?"

"Sometimes I do," whispered Lilly as she closed her eyes and yawned. She was finally able to truly relax now that the pain had subsided. "When I close my eyes I can see her sometimes. Can't you?"

"Not very well. Her face seems very dull and blurry in my mind," answered the older girl as she looked up at the cloudy ceiling thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you get a new pencil that's just been sharpened and it writes very well?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's how I used to be able to remember Mother. But I've tried to remember her so many times that the new sharp pencil has been used too much, and now the lines aren't as fine and precise. They're mixed and hard to recognize."

"Then just make it up."

"What do you mean? Make up my own mother's face?"

"Yes! If you don't remember what she looked like, imagine what you think she might have looked like. That's what I do when I read books too. If I don't have a picture, then I just think it up in my head. It's not so hard."

"You're the one who's most like Mother, not me," commented Jane laughing a little at her sister's innocence. Neither said anything after that as they both slowly drifted off into sleep.

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Lilly awoke with a start as Jane shook her irritably.

"Finally! I thought you were dead. You sleep like a log, Lilly. Time to get up. We need to go to school," said Jane as she affectionately slapped her sister's behind and Lilly jumped with a giggly squeal.

The morning was never an enemy to Lilly for she never had trouble getting out of bed at the crack of dawn if she needed to. School started at eight o'clock and they had thirty minutes to eat breakfast, get dressed, and be out the door by 7:30. Their father had slept in so they had no more run-ins with him as they continued their morning routine. As they stood in front of the mirror of their bathroom brushing their teeth, they would chitchat the best they could with mouths full of toothpaste.

"So, what are we going to do after school today?" asked Lilly as comprehensively as she could.

"We're probably going to have to come straight home after school," replied Jane after she had spit out some lathered toothpaste.

"Aw, why? They're going to get a big group together this afternoon to play games."

"If you promise to do your schoolwork afterwards, then we'll go." Lilly did a little dance of joy and then spit out her own mouthful of foam.

In their grey skirts and thick, navy sweaters, they set out for school. The walk was not an unpleasant one but neither of them enjoyed their little journeys to school everyday. 'Back to the old grind', their dad used to say. Yes, the teacher grinding her nails against the blackboard when the class would become too chatty. The grinding of pencils to desks as each unruly student left their mark in someone else's name. The metaphorical grinding that the teachers would do to their brains with facts, dates, and formulas. School was as painful as grinding your own hand in a mill. Their anticipation of the day was what made their trip there so horrid.

They never overestimated their school day either. This was one day that Mrs. Shernault was not tolerating any fooling around. With her nose high in the air, she pointed to the French word on the blackboard and told the class to repeat after her. A very weak echo returned to her and she was not pleased. She asked the class to tell her what the word meant and when no hands rose into the air, she picked out a victim.

"Lilly Parker," she called sternly as the small girl looked up from her French book. "Tell me the translation."

Lilly froze. '_The translation?'_ That was exactly what she had been searching for in her book. Unfortunately, the entire book was teaching French… _in_ French so it was of no assistance to her.

"Um… la gorge? It means…. uh… it means…," she stumbled and searched her mind for any knowledge of this word. The teacher folded her arms across her chest and waited very impatiently for an answer. Jane, who was sitting directly in front of poor Lilly, reached carefully up to rub the back of her neck and hoped that her sister would understand the hint she was giving her.

"Is something wrong, Jane?" the teacher asked harshly. Jane shook her head and brought her hand back to her lap. She hoped that Lilly had gotten the message. Lilly saw the gesture and interpreted it completely wrong but answered with the best guess she could come up with.

"The neck?" she said meekly as more of a question than a statement and the children snickered. The teacher gave her a cold look and responded in the same icy way.

"No, Lilly. _La gorge _means 'the throat'. I would suggest you pay more attention in my class or I might have to send a note home about your inattention in my schoolroom."

Lilly hung her head feeling completely embarrassed and had her eyes glued to the blackboard until the lunch bell rang and the children went back into the cloakroom where they kept their coats and lunch pails. The pair of siblings sat and ate lunch and conversed about the day. Lunchtime flew by and they were back in the stuffy, gloomy classroom. The rest of the day went on, no more eventful than the beginning of it, and their entire room was relieved of all its tension when a sharp bell rang and signaled the release of the students. The girls gathered their things and walked outside to observe a group of kids getting ready for an afternoon of fun and games. Lilly looked pleadingly up at her older sister and Jane rolled her eyes and sighed before nodding. She would never understand why Lilly would get so excited about playing with the same kids who would make fun of her during class or give her unfriendly looks when she would try to talk to them. However, Lilly would never understand why Jane had more enjoyment in being alone in her room drawing than outside in the sunshine playing a round of tag.

It was time to choose who was "it" in this game of freeze-tag. Jane settled herself on a bench under an oak tree that sat near the cluster of people that fought over who was going to be the first one to run around like a maniac and hit people until there were none left moving. So as the others indulged in a frivolous child's game, Jane pulled out an old, worn out notebook that held her drawings. She had to keep herself entertained why Lilly ran around the grassy lot.

"One, two, three!" one child yelled and a roaring reply of "NOT IT!" in unison came. Lilly was not apart of the reply though. She looked at the others rather confused and wondered why they had responded that way.

"You're the last one so you're 'it' now, Lilly," someone said and all the kids scattered immediately so as to get away from Lilly.

For a good hour, the game went on until it started getting late. Jane glanced at an old watch that her father had given her and it read 5:30. Dinner always started at six o'clock on the dot and they needed to get home before it got too dark out. Jane called to Lilly and once she had pried the smaller child away from her game, they were off. They ran all the way home. Jane noticed that her sister was running rather desperately though. She almost seemed frightened. She decided not to ask about it and concentrated on their destination.

The barely made it to their home before the streetlamps were lit. They knew that they were sure to get a scolding from the maid Betsy but knew that it was better than a scolding from their dad. They hung up their coats and made it to the dinner table just before Betsy had come out with the dinner platter. They arranged themselves in their usual seats and Betsy came in holding a large silver platter in her hands. She gave them a harsh look but said nothing to them about their late arrival. She rang a bell that was sitting on the white lace tablecloth as an announcement to Mr. Parker that dinner was served.

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"I think we got off pretty easy, don't you think?" asked Lilly as they retreated the nursery which was only occupied by Lilly. Jane had long moved out of it to her own separate room.

"I think Betsy was trying not to start a ruckus after last night. She didn't want that starting up again," Jane answered back.

"Jane, can I tell you a secret?" whispered the small girl as she beckoned Jane to come closer to her.

"What is it?"

"I saw someone following us. Back when we were running home, I saw a shadow behind us."

"They were probably just going in the same direction that we were, that's all. They weren't following us."

"But Jane, when I looked back to see who it was, there was no one there. I kept seeing something moving after us out of the corner of my eyes though. I think they were after us for some reason."

"I think you were imagining it. It was getting dark and you always get a bit anxious when it's nighttime."

"No Jane! I know there was a person chasing us!"

Nonsense. I don't want to hear anymore about it. You'll scare yourself with talk like that. Now, it's almost time for bed so get your nightgown on."

"Alright, fine," declared Lilly and she went to her dresser and pulled out her favorite green nightgown.

"How's about a story tonight, Lil? We haven't had a story in ages," she suggested and Lilly immediately answered that she "would very much like a story tonight."

"Tell me a new one that I haven't heard," she said and jumped onto the bed and bounced a bit.

"Hm… I think I know one you've never heard before. Ever heard the one about Peter Pan?"

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A/N: I hate to leave you right there but I think it's a good cut-off point for right now. Any thoughts? Ideas? Anything you did or didn't like? By the way, the title of this chapter "My Papa's Waltz" is after a poem about a boy and his abusive father. And all beginning chapters suck because you have to get the background before the real story starts.


	2. Irresistible

Chapter 2: Irresistible

"No, I don't think I have. Is it good?" said Lilly with intrigue.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one. Mother used to tell it to me all the time," replied Jane, who was getting settled on the bed. She laid across it long ways leaning on her elbow and looking up at Lilly who was too anxious to sit still. "As I said, it's about a boy named Peter Pan, and"

"Well THAT is a strange last name! What's his sister's name? Patty Pot?" Lilly mocked as she went into fits of laughter. Jane's face went red with anger as she gave her sister the most bone-chilling glare. Lilly simply ignored it. She knew Jane had quite the temper but could not stop laughing at her own little joke.

"Well haven't you ever heard of the Great god Pan? He was in Greek mythology; the god of nature. Maybe that's why his name is Peter Pan," Jane stated. Then she realized that they may have shared the same name, but there was hardly any relation between the two. Yes, Peter liked to live in the wilderness but he was still like a normal person. And there was the part about the Great god Pan being part faun. Their personalities, maybe, are what could have made them alike: humorous, adventurous, and lusty. Well, perhaps just Humorous and adventurous. Peter was still just a boy. She added one more comment to make herself like she knew what she was talking about, "Don't you ever pay attention in school? We learned about this."

"Of course I do. Goodness, I was only having a bit of fun," Lilly shot back a little irritably. She urged Jane to continue on with the story anyway.

"Alright, you know that all children have to grow up, right?"

"Yes?"

"Well, all children do…. except one. Peter Pan is a very special boy. He lives in a place called Neverland, where you never grow up. As a young child, he went there and has lived there for so long, that no one knows how long it's been, not even Peter himself."

"Skip the prologue, please. I want to get to the **rea**l story here!"

"You are terribly impatient, you know that? Fine then. I'll skip to the good part. Do you want to know a secret?" said Jane, whose voice went down into a low whisper.

"What is it?"

"Mother met Peter Pan. She went to Neverland!"

"Oh, do tell me about it!"

And so the story went on. Jane went into any and all details that she knew (and a few that she conjured up herself) about her mother's exciting exploration of Neverland. She covered everything from Hook to the Black Castle to walking the plank. She didn't even THINK to leave out the part about her mother and Peter and the hidden kiss. For a girl, that was the best part. As Lilly sighed in a dreamy way that only little girls can, something caught her eye. Instantly, her thoughts went back to the shadow that had been following them on the way home. Whether Jane believed it or not, Lilly knew that there had been someone there. She stopped paying attention to her sister's story and when Jane became aware of this, she brought the tale to a halt and question the little girl about what was wrong.

"I saw something again," she said rather quietly as she stared intently at the window. "That person who was following us is back."

"For the last time, Lilly, **no** one was behind us when we were walking home. I don't understand at all why you've become so suspicious that there is someone after us," said Jane peevishly. Truth be told, she just didn't want to hear about worries of a stalker because she knew that she herself might get frightened.

"Stop being so loud! What if they try to break in through the window?"

"They won't, trust me. Would you like to know why? You're imagining things!"

"For once, just listen to me on this. There it is again!" whispered Lilly and as Jane turned around, she could not deny the darkened figure that could be seen in the tree outside the bedroom window.

"Hide. Now!" urged Jane as she pushed her sister off the bed and continued to lead her to the closet. Just as they were opening the closet door, the window lock turned. A rush of adrenalin hit both of the girls as they hurried into their hiding place and shut the door. Lilly was deathly afraid and Jane held her close and stroked her hair to calm her. She peered out of the closet through a narrow crack and witnessed the window nearly fly out of the pane. The curtains flapped in the sudden rush of wind coming from outside as a pair of very dirty feet came in contact with the floor. Jane almost gasped aloud.

"What's happening?" whispered Lilly as quietly as she could while still rushing for an answer.

"It's him. He's back."

Lilly wriggled her way in front of Jane so she could also see through the small crack. There she viewed an odd looking boy with sun-kissed blonde, ruffled hair and clothing that looked like something out of The Swiss Family Robinson. Any skin that was exposed was dirt streaked and his hands rested firmly on his hips; legs shoulder length apart in almost a pose. Lilly was awestruck. She didn't have to be told who it was. Jane's surprise and Lilly's recent knowledge of Peter Pan's history with this place gave her no reason to need to ask who this unfamiliar boy was. He was the boy who never grew up.

Lilly took it upon herself to introduce herself to Peter so she opened the closet door just enough for her own small self to get out and approached the now surprised visitor. She did a little curtsey like Jane had said mother did and Peter bowed back in an awkward fashion. Apparently he hadn't done this for a long time.

"Are you who I think you are?" asked Lilly and Peter seemed confused.

"Well who do you think I am?" he asked back and the moment her spoke, Jane's heart nearly stopped. It really was him. _What_ was he doing here?

"Are you Peter Pan?" Lilly said, clearing up the confusion and Peter gave a large grin. He liked being recognized like some sort of celebrity. Jane rolled her eyes with a tolerant smile and remembered how vain Peter was.

"Yes, indeed I am. And you are?" he said with more of a cheery quality.

"Lilly Parker. My sister was just telling me about you, you know!" she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Was she now? Where is your sister?" he said glancing around the room.

"In the closet. We were afraid you were someone here to hurt us."

Peter walked over to the door that Lilly was pointing at and pushed the door open to reveal Jane standing very stiff and almost a bit nervous. Peter smirked at her. He remembered her too.

"Hello again, Peter," said Jane when she had found her voice again.

"Hello, Jane. Living in a closet now, are you?" he teased and Jane rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove as she walked passed him to exit the confined closet.

"You never told me that **you **knew Peter Pan!" squealed the younger girl as she stood wide-eyed. "Not fair!"

"What's not fair?" said Peter.

"Both Jane and Mother went on some amazing, fantastic quest with you and what do I get?" whined Lilly and Jane was about to say something before Peter did but he beat her to it.

"Come back with me then!"

"NO!" objected Jane right away. There was absolutely, positively no way that Peter was going to steal her sister away. Knowing Lilly, she may never come back. Jane knew her sister wasn't as sensible as their mother or herself. Besides, who did Peter think he was barging in like this?

"What? Why not, Jane? You've been to Neverland and I'm sure you loved it!" gushed Lilly as Peter even gave her a pleading look. She held her ground firmly and dismissed the idea once more. Lilly begged and pleaded the way only little girls can but Jane shut her eyes tight and refused to listen. It was then that she heard a familiar jingle. Some one was ringing bells in the house. When she had opened her eyes, her feet were no longer touching the floor! She then recognized that sound of bells. How could she forget? Tinkerbelle (who had become quite fond of Jane in their last adventure) was flying near by with a big, cheery smile on her face. When she turned to look back at Lilly, Peter's face came into view first. He floated there next to her with that half smile plastered on his face and one eyebrow arched in a way that almost seemed to challenge Jane. Jane could never resist a challenge.

"Come back with us," he asked one more time and Jane looked behind the boy to her sister that was literally jumping up and down with excitement. She had never seen Lilly so excited and happy before. What kind of person would she be if she took that away?

She sighed in resignation and nodded.

"Alright. We'll go," she answered and Lilly squealed giddily as Tink hovered over her and almost seemed to do a little jig as the fairy dust showered down onto the petite little girl underneath. Lilly's giggles were so loud as she ascended into the air that Betsy, the maid, called up the stairs to the girls and told them to stop playing and go to sleep. They both answered, "Yes, ma'am!" and silently soared out of the open window.

"What made you come back, Peter?" asked Jane once they were high enough to tip-toe across chimneys.

"I can't resist a story about me," he said back and Lilly sped past them doing all sorts of tricks and fun flips. Jane laughed heartily and Peter said to them both, "We're off to Neverland!"

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A/N: Another chapter, another symbolizing title. My titles will often hint at what is going to happen in the chapter. Sometime it's not obvious, but in this one, it was pretty clearly stated. Peter Can't resist a story, Jane can't resist a challenge, and she can't resist Peter either. Feedback is always welcome!


	3. Creatures of the Deep

Chapter 3: Creatures of the Deep

Up, up, and away they climbed. The higher they got, the more Jane had a bad feeling about the whole deal. Lilly was completely and utterly in awe of everything around her and carried none of the cares that her sister currently harbored. Everything was new to her. The night lights, the rooftops, and the evening air rushing against her face enchanted her as she flew farther away from her home and everything she knew. What was lying ahead called to her like the Pied Piper and she went gladly to meet it. The moonbeams cast its whitish light over her and her normally blonde hair looked like cascades of silver, rippling in the wind.

Peter looked over at her with a smile. He always enjoyed an enthusiastic new kid. Then he looked over at Jane. She was not as thrilled to be going to Neverland again and Peter didn't understand why. Her short brown hair twisted around her face, lashing her cheeks mercilessly as she flew and resembled her insides that were flip-flopping within her. He knew that she was nervous about something, but the actual reason for her anxiety was something he would never understand. He decided to ignore and was sure that once she was back in Neverland, that she would shed her cares and be able to have fun with him again.

A wall of resistance hit them all and then was burst apart as they passed by a certain point. It was then that they realized they were in the solar system. And as many times as Jane tried to explain it all to herself logically, she knew that she wasn't dreaming. Everything about Peter Pan defied science and reason in almost every possible way. How is it that they could fly? How could they breathe in space? How did Peter stay forever young? Jane shook her head to banish these thoughts then smiled in an almost embarrassed way. "Why was she worrying about these things?" should have been her biggest question. She knew that she had needed Peter to come back. Ten years was an awfully long time.

"So which way should we be heading?" Lilly shouted back to Peter and Jane who were trailing behind her.

"Second to the right and straight on 'till morning," came Peter's reply and Lilly seemed to shoot off even faster than before. Jane laughed then tried to catch up as Peter showed off to the girls with his masterful flying skills.

"You're so full of yourself, Peter," Jane teased as Peter looked back with an annoyed stare.

"Bet you couldn't catch me," he challenged and Jane gave a wolfish grin as she attempted to catch up to the best flyer there ever was. Lilly, who was feeling rather left out in all the action, decided that she was going to race along the other as well. And just as Jane was starting to get ahead, Peter grabbed onto her ankle and pulled her back.

"Hold on for this part," he advised, holding out his hand. Jane took it without hesitation for she remembered how turbulent the last bit of the trip to Neverland always was.

"Lilly! Grab my hand!" she called and Lilly soon met up with her and grasped her hand.

Peter gave an excited giggle. This was obviously his favorite part of the journey. He rocketed off into oblivion and a colossal rush hit the two girls at once as both held on for dear life to the hand(s) they were attached to. Once the sky had spit them out into a normal atmosphere, they loosened their grip and Jane massaged her crushed hand that Lilly had been gripping.

"You've got an iron grip, Lil. My hand will probably be sore until tomorrow," she joked and Lilly gave a grin as though she had accomplished something. Their attention was soon averted from each other to a loud boom that resounded throughout the morning air. Jane and Lilly were frozen still but Peter reacted almost instantly. He crashed into both of them and knocked them out of harm's way. Just a moment after they had been dislodged from their former position, a cannonball came tearing by not 5 feet from them.

"Get away!" Peter commanded and it took the others each a second to comprehend what had just happened and what was happening now. Jane nodded and called for Lilly to follow her. They made a mad dash for the cover of the jungle foliage that resided not far away from them and once under the protection of thick branches, they breathed again.

"What was that?" inquired Lilly as she struggled to catch her breath.

"A cannonball," responded Jane with a little bit of panting as well. "Hook must have seen us."

"Hook? That came from Hook?"

"I think so. Peter will explain to us later. Right now, we need to figure out what to do next."

"Let's watch!" suggested Lilly and Jane's eyes bulged. Was she insane!

"We'll be killed!"

"No we won't." she waved a hand of dismissal. "Peter will protect us."

"Peter's not God, Lilly. Besides, he doesn't need us distracting him."

"I'm going out and watching," said Lilly firmly and she rose above the jungle into plain sight to watch Peter and his daring fight with the pirates. The entire time, it just seemed like he was toying with the grubby old crew on the ship. He was laughing and doing tricks in the air as he confused their aim and Lilly watch in pure rapture. This was the most amazing act she had ever seen. The pirates never stood a chance!

Jane sat watching too but with a different kind of fascination; more nostalgic than captivated. Peter never changed.

"I want to get a better look," Lilly announced and dared to venture closer to the action that was going on before her. She was being pulled in closer and closer. She was so near them that she could hear their voices and understand their words.

"Lillian Margaret Parker! Get back here right now!" demanded Jane but her words fell on deaf ears. Her sister wasn't listening to anything but the sound of cannons and the shouts of buccaneers. As much as her sibling yelled for her to pull back, she pressed on because she was too curious to stop. Her first mistake was made.

"Up there! What is that?" a gruff, deep voice bellowed and several others responded with different suggestions. One pulled out a telescope and fixed his eyes upon Lilly.

"A girl!"

"Must have come with Pan."

"He's brought new ones again."

Lilly felt a pair of arms grab her around the waist to pull her away and she instantly suspected it was Jane.

"_What does Jane know? Peter gets close enough to kiss them and he doesn't get hurt,"_ thought Lilly angrily and she wriggled out of the person's grip. Her second mistake.

Anger was not a happy emotion. Therefore, she was not thinking happy thoughts. She felt off balance and unstable and then realized, she was falling. She started plummeting from the sky toward the blue sea and looked up to see Peter flying above her. He dove down after her as a very loud scream was let loose by the small girl falling faster and faster. He held out his arms, ready to grab hold of her and swoop back up, but it was time for Lilly to pay for her mistakes. She hit the water with a sickeningly loud splash, flat on her back, and completely emptied of breath because of her shrieks. The water was icy cold and murky. When she opened her eyes to look around, they stung so badly that she felt she might cry. She frantically tried to claw her way up to the surface but Lilly had never learned how to swim properly so all her efforts were in vain. The greenish-blue water threatened to swallow her alive and she wished that she had listened to Jane when she was told to stay away from the pirate ship. Her lungs were desperate for air and she involuntarily inhaled a breath of pure saltwater. She was lost for sure and she knew it. As she sunk deeper and deeper into the dark depths of the water, a strange noise came. It sounded like a dolphin calling out under the water. The aquatic singing was joined by several other creatures like it and Lilly panicked. Thinking it might be a predator looking for a meal, she felt her chest aching in an attempt to cry, but with no oxygen to fill her lungs, she could do nothing but writhe underwater in her own pity.

The singing grew louder and Lilly was having trouble keeping her head about things. She was starting to lose consciousness when felt a fin stroke her arm. She jumped and felt panic build up so greatly that she thought she might explode. When she opened her eyes for a moment she saw the most amazing thing. A mermaid was floating there next to her. She looked around her and the water was scattered with mermaids swimming closer. The one next to her spun Lilly around to face her again then cupped her cheeks with her webbed hands and brought her lips to Lilly's.

Lilly was appalled! What was this creature doing? How much more vile could this be? As she struggled to be free of the mermaid's hold, she felt something wonderful: air. The mermaid was forcing air into Lilly's lungs. Once she had them half full of air and half full with water, she was finally able to cough up the unwanted liquid. The mermaid backed away for a moment as Lilly expelled the water, and then blew air into Lilly one more time before she wrapped her scaly arms around her and threw her up with tremendous force.

The girl emerged from the water and shot about 10 feet into the air. Just as she was about to fall back into the water, someone caught her. She looked up and Jane was holding her tightly with tears streaming down her face.

"Don't you _ever _do that again, Lilly! I told you to stay away," Jane reprimanded and then hugged her sister and told her how happy she was to see her alive. "You were under for so long that I thought you were dead."

Lilly was too tired and shocked to speak. She felt like she had been running for miles and miles from an angry bull named Death and all her energy had been drained. She glanced over toward the pirate ship and spied Peter approaching from that direction.

"We need to get her somewhere safe to rest," Jane hollered and Peter nodded.

"Let's head back to the hiding place. I'm starving anyway!" said Peter and he lead them into the jungle again. Lilly felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier and she fought off sleep as best she could until it consumed her in a dreamless rest.

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Jane looked down at Lilly who was sleeping in her arms and felt another rush of relief. They hadn't been in Neverland 5 minutes and Lilly had already come close to getting killed. Lilly was not always the most levelheaded person and Jane was very glad to have accompanied her sister and Peter on their new adventure or else she would have never seen her sister again. It was time for her to be the big sister and keep Lilly safe for now. She worried that Neverland held even more new terrors that would put her frail sister in danger, though. Something deadly could be around any corner. A part of her didn't mind the danger because she had Peter around. Although another part told her that Peter wasn't responsible enough to keep them safe.

"_Peter has never been very dependable. His bad memory could erase us from his mind right when we needed him most,"_ she thought fearfully. She couldn't take that chance. She had to take Lilly home and soon.

They reached a new hideout that Peter had constructed and gently pushed away the branches and bushes that guarded the door and kept it virtually invisible to those who didn't already know where it was. Inside was rather cozy but smaller than the tree house that Peter had previously occupied. It was all one room and the only items that seemed the least bit modern was the wooden table in the middle of the place and fur-skin bed in the corner. She placed Lilly on the bed and Lilly slept motionlessly and peacefully.

Peter left the two for a short time and came back with food for them to eat. For most of the meal, Jane sat in silence and glanced over at her still snoozing sister. Peter gave her a questioning look when they were finished as if to inquire about her silence.

"Peter?"

"What is it?"

"Peter, when is the soonest Lilly and I may leave?"

"What? Leave!" shouted Peter. "Why do you want to leave? You just arrived!"

"I know that. But Lilly's already been on too much danger for her or me to handle. We never should have come. She might die if we push our luck any longer," answered Jane calmly.

"Lilly will be fine! I'll make sure that she'll never be harmed."

"You couldn't keep her safe when she fell into the ocean today."

"Then we'll be more careful!"

"Peter!" Jane yelled, finally losing her patience. "I **cannot** risky my sister's life. She's already seen enough horror on her life and I don't want her having anymore near-death experiences."

Peter backed off with his eyes downcast. "Go then. I'll take you back tomorrow."

"We can't wait until tomorrow. By then, Lilly might already be dead."

"You wish to leave today?" asked Peter in disbelief. Jane nodded. Peter's face turned from shock to anger very quickly as he glared at Jane intensely.

"I'm sorry, Peter. I would stay if I could but Lilly needs me and needs to be back at home."

"But your father…" Peter started and then trailed off.

"We've been able to handle him before so we can keep on living with him."

"He hurts Lilly. And he hurts you." They both sat in silence for a moment and then Peter broke it with a firm "No. I won't let you leave."

"Peter, I'm not going to argue about this again."

"You're safer here than back there. Lilly will learn to be careful and to take care of herself," protested Peter and Jane rubbed her temples with an exasperated sigh. She closed her eyes and wished that this could all be a dream. She wished to wake up and find herself back in her house in London. But when she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but Peter's pleading eyes that hinted anger.

"I do want to stay but-"

"Please, don't leave me, Jane."

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A/N: There you go, a little itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, microscopic sweet moment between Jane and Peter. I'm a little torn between who should go with Peter though. What do you guys think?

Review!


	4. C4

Chapter 4: C-4

Jane watched Tinkerbelle wearily as Tink did her best to try to cheer the teen up. She danced, she made faces, she did charades but nothing could make Jane choke up a laugh. Tink pouted irritably since her antics did not provoke that giggles and joy that they used to.

"Forgive me, Tinkerbelle," apologized Jane. She really did want to laugh but she was in a very confused mood and she was so full of up with questions and uncertainty that there was no room for amusement. "I'm just not in the mood right now."

Tink gave a sympathetic look and bells rang sadly in her presence. Jane peered over at Lilly, who was still sleeping like a log. It had been hours since they had returned from their little excursion with the pirates and mermaids. Peter had flown off in a rage and hadn't been back since their quarrel this morning. It must have been early afternoon, Jane presumed, since the sun was so high. Time to wake up the rock.

"Lilly? Wake up, Lil," whispered Jane with a slight shake. When no reaction occurred, she shook Lilly's shoulder a little harder and spoke a bit louder. Still nothing.

Jane was getting a little frustrated. She kept making attempts to wake her sister up and each time, she gradually intensified her wakeup call until she was yelling and practically hitting Lilly.

"FIRE!" screamed Jane and she pushed Lilly viciously. "AHH! I'm **dying**! My arm has been lopped off and I'm **bleeding** to death! Save me!"

Lilly groaned and rolled over. A ray of hope!

"The blue, furry monkeys from the arctic are coming, Lilly! They've come to throw frozen bananas at us!" exclaimed Jane, followed by several light punches in the arm.

"No," whimpered Lilly as the bright sunlight greeted her very unpleasantly. "I don't want to wake up."

"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty. I had to take drastic measures to wake you up. Usually you awake before I get to the blue, furry monkeys."

"I told you never to remind me of those again, Jane," grumbled Lilly as she rubbed her eyes and sat up, now almost fully awake.

"It was just a nightmare you had. And it was years ago."

"I was traumatized! Time cannot heal the scar that those monkeys made," argued Lilly overdramatically, holding up her index finger in a commanding way.

"You are such a child, Lilly Billy," Jane said while chuckling. They sat in silence for a moment and Lilly took this time to rub the sleep from her eyes and then when she focused her eyes correctly, she realized that someone was missing.

"Where has Peter gone?" she asked in surprise.

"I don't know," Jane lied. She didn't think it wise to inform the ten year-old of the clash that happened why she was off in La-la Land. Eventually, she was going to have to tell her about their sudden return home but she decided that she'd wake until Peter cooled down some.

"Maybe we should go find him," Lilly suggested and Jane gave her a stone-hard no.

"Peter will come back when he comes back. There's no need to start a search for him," Jane assured her. _'At least not yet.'_

"Alright then. But what can we do in the mean time?"

"Um… not sure. Any ideas?"

"A game of hide and seek would be nice. And we have so many places to hide here!" said Lilly and Jane felt a stab of fear. Yes, so many places for them to hide… and anything else that didn't want to be seen. She decided to go along with it regardless. She wanted to give Lilly a fun time before returning back home.

"Ok, I'll be 'it'. You hurry up and hide because I'm only counting to twenty-five!" Jane teased and Lilly sprinted out of the hideout with the bushes slashing her arms and face.

She was going to find a hiding place that Jane would _never _find. She looked high and low for a perfect spot to hide and found it just as she started hearing rustling behind her. An old tree with gnarly roots held a hollow hole that had a tiny entrance that only a small child might be able to fit through. She dashed into it just as Jane came into view. She watched Jane intently as the older went around the area looking in every nook and cranny for Lilly. Lilly giggled quietly when Jane would jump or turn around at any tiny sound.

'_Jane can be such a scaredy-cat. I don't understand why she's so afraid all the time. Neverland has made her unusually edgy, I've noticed. I love it here!_' thought Lilly while keeping her eyes on Jane. Jane started wondering farther off into the distance and once the sounds of her presence were silenced, Lilly came out of her hiding spot and ran as quickly as her feet could carry her to home base: the hideout. The hideout was just in sight when there was a deafening** BOOM**!

She clapped her hands over her ears and screamed in fear. What had just happened? It sounded like dynamite had just exploded. In fright, she ran even faster and felt a little better when she was concealed by walls and a roof. She took a few moments to regain her composure and took deep breaths while wondering if Jane was alright.

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Jane shrieked as the loud thunder of an explosion rang out in the afternoon air. Momentarily, she forgot about the hide and seek game and even _Lilly_ as she sprinted back to the hideout as if Hell's dogs were at her heels. Everything blurred into one massive blob of green and brown and felt completely confused. Where was she going? She didn't know the way back to the hideout! Especially since she had just run off into any random direction to get away from the noise.

"Oh no," she said with tears forming in her eyes. "Oh no, no, NO! What am I doing?"

She looked around her and hoped with all her heart that she might see something familiar, but unfortunately, she could recognize nothing. More tears sprung into her eyes and started trickling down her cheeks. Then she finally remembered her hide and seek partner.

'_Please, God, no_,' she silently prayed as she bolted off into the jungle aimlessly. She was afraid to call out Lilly's name as she ran because something human had placed explosives in the jungle. Instead, she whispered it hoarsely and started panicking when she still couldn't find her sister. '_God, you know I've never asked you for anything before, but I'm asking you now, please keep Lilly safe and help me find her._'

The forest floor was littered with leaves and dead branches from the population of trees in the area and so anywhere she went, the cracking and rustling went too. She tried fruitlessly to quiet her footsteps incase there were people near by. The ground was completely covered, though, and there would have been a bear hiding under all the windfall leaves and tree limbs and she would have never known it. Not only that, the small amount of grass growing was extremely tall and brushing against her calves as she ran. Her breath caught in her throat as the aerobic stress from running set in. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and calm her racing thoughts. As she bent over and panted deeply, she saw something sparkle in the leaves. Curious to what it might be, she ventured over to it and reached for it. When her hand pulled out of the layer of covering, it held a silver coin.

'_That's odd,' _she thought to herself as she studied the coin. She reasoned that it must have either belonged to an Indian or a pirate. She wanted to take it back with her but had no pockets so she flicked it back into the grass and turned to walk away. The moment the coin hit the ground, another explosion let loose. Jane ran. She ran as quickly as she could just to get away. Although, everywhere she ran, a geyser of flames erupted from the ground just as she past over them.

"Landmines!" exclaimed Jane as her pace quickened. The flames threatened to take off her feet as they came dangerously close to the fires. She felt gallons of adrenalin coursed through her as she ran faster and faster; each explosion seeming to get even more treacherously close to injuring her. Tears flowed freely down her face as air became thicker and harder to take in. The smoke from the air mixed with the clean oxygen and her straining lungs screamed for a full breath of air. Her legs were beginning to feel like jelly and the fear was almost too much for her. If she stopped before she was out of the mine field, then she would be blown into oblivion for sure.

"You said you'd protect us, Peter! Where are you now?" yelled Jane and hoped that he might hear her and come to her rescue. Peter did not come. It was just her and mines for 100 more feet.

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"Lilly?" said Peter as he entered the hideout. He saw the younger girl safe and sound but Jane was missing. And those repeated blasts did not seem promising.

"Peter! You're back!" greeted Lilly in relief.

"Where's Jane?"

"Out there somewhere. We were playing hide and seek and then there was a loud BANG and I ran here."

"Oh no," he worried. He turned right around and flew out of the secret hideaway as quick as a flash. He had to find Jane, and fast.

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'_Finally_,' Jane thought in the deepest relief. She had reached past the mine field's limits and was on safe ground. At the moment, she stood with her hand on her knees, bent over and breathing hard in an open field. The shock of racing through a mine field hadn't entirely cleared away and she squeezed her eyes shut as she gasped desperately to calm her breathing. Her lungs were contaminated with the smoke and fumes of fire, causing every new breath to be increasingly harder to inhale. She held her throat with her hands and looked like she was choking. Thinking it would be better to stand up to open her throat up some more, she shot upright with her hands still clasped around her neck. Slowly, things became blurry. She felt lighter. The daylight vanished and became black…

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A/N: Jane's blacked out and Peter's on a hunt to find her! It can only get better from here. lol.


	5. A Right Hook

Chapter 5: A Right Hook

Lilly paced back and forth in the hidden den anxiously. Something was wrong with Jane. She knew it. She and Jane had this unearthly connection that told each other what the one was feeling, and this very uneasy feeling was coursing through her. It had been hours since Peter had flown away in a desperate search for Jane and Lilly had a hunch that he hadn't found her yet. She wondered what might have happened to her sister after the bomb detonated. The worry started to make her body tremble and her light blonde hair stand on end.

She told herself that she must trust Peter, though. Peter would find her and bring her back safely. Then Jane would feel foolish for ever doubting Peter's care. She would tell Lilly that she had been right all along and her own presumption had been stupid and that she should take Lilly's advice from now on.

Lilly smiled proudly as she played out her moment of redemption with glee and giddy anticipation. She would finally be recognized as insightful and wise; not a little ten-year-old child. Jane may have been five years older, but Lilly knew that she possessed knowledge that Jane could never get. Like when Jane said that twice three was six. It was obviously five because if you put two and three together, you get five! What an ignorant person Jane had been. Had she never paid attention in school?

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All was dark… dark and hot. The thick, humid air made it hard to breathe and it felt like someone was squeezing her lungs so painfully that she felt her chest might cave in. She coughed laboriously and tried to find something, anything tangible in the pitch black. She got up in her hands and knees and crawled around. Using one hand to feel around her, she stumbled aimlessly for a few seconds and then, she fell through a hole of some sort. She screamed hoarsely as the air rushing past her became stronger and stronger as she started falling faster and faster toward the invisible ground. The fear started rapidly building up inside her and tears stung her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, more spilled out and she knew that when she hit the ground that she was going to die. She couldn't even imagine the pain that she knew was coming… but it never came. Something felt different suddenly. The wind was still whistling past her but in a different way. She opened her eyes and light burst forth from the darkness and she saw Neverland rushing past beneath her. Breathing deeply with relief, she turned on her back and stretched her arms as she flew.

"There you are!" someone said beside her. She jumped with a yelp of surprise then saw none other than Peter himself next to her, that famous smile on his face.

"Peter!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"I found you," answered Peter as he grabbed her hand, pulling her to catch up to his pace. She laughed blissfully as her hair blew around her face wildly and the thrill of flying took over her. She closed her eyes and surrendered to this fantastic enchantment. Then when she opened her eyes, it was night again and Peter has stopped. A full moon reflected off of the shallow pond that they hovered above.

'_What happened? Night_?' she thought with one eyebrow raised. She turned to Peter to inquire and explanation but was startled with a kiss instead. Peter crushed his lips to Jane's and embraced her tenderly. She shut her eyes and let it all go. She thought to herself, 'This is too good to be true!'

But slowly, Peter's touch turned cold and it felt like ice against her lips. Opening her eyes, the figure of Peter vanished and the pond water turned ominously black. Clouds started to cover the moon and all light was extinguished.

And she was in black again… and oh so cold.

Jane's head felt like someone had whacked her with sledgehammer and her feet felt like they were still being singed. Groaning miserably, she forced herself to sit up and whimpered while whispering obscenities because of the splitting headache that threatened to pound her brain to mush. Every part of her ached so immensely that she wanted to pull out a pistol and shoot herself.

"Blast that Hook. He must have been the one putting out dynamite in the jungle. I guess I won't be walking for a while," she muttered angrily. She glanced down at her feet which were black and blistering from the proximity that her feet came to the flames. "I **know** I won't be walking for a while."

She took off her thick, navy school sweater to reveal a white button down blouse. Her once grey skirt has turned charcoal black from all the smoke and Jane knew her white shirt wouldn't stay white for long, but getting dirty was half the fun in Neverland. It was getting steadily darker. It must have been early evening that she had woken up at, judging by how recently the sun had just set. The sky was still slightly illuminated with pink and orange beams if light but it would be night soon. Jane hated to be alone at night.

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This was getting insane! Where was Peter? It was getting dark and he still had not returned. The suspense had Lilly so nervous that she thought she might burst. She couldn't sit down long enough to calm down because she would get right back up and start pacing circles around the room. She thought that it might be a good idea for her to try to find Jane incase something was wrong and Peter couldn't find her. Then she dismissed the idea and knew that if she went out there in the dark, she would never find her way back. Her "Jane's-pains" senses weren't going crazy like before so she thought that maybe she was safe but an eerie vibe was coming from the jungle. Someone was out there. She didn't know who but it reeked of something sinister. Jane may have been safe for now, but something was coming to get her. She wouldn't stay safe for long.

Lilly's thought were interrupted by Peter's loud entrance. He was panting like a dog and sweating as if he had run a marathon. However, Jane was not with him. This did not bode well.

"Did you find her, Peter?" asked Lilly almost hysterically.

"Not yet. I've looked all over the jungle and no matter how many times I call her, she doesn't answer," he replied forlornly. He picked a leaf out of his hair and flicked it away as Lilly whined in fright.

"Something's wrong. I don't know what but something's in the jungle," informed Lilly and Peter nodded.

"I know. Hook's been snooping around some place with weird craters. I don't know where they're from either."

"Do you think they may have been from those bombs?"

"Bombs?"

"Yes! The ones that kept going off. Do you remember? It was right when Jane had gone missing."

"Those ones?" said Peter with his head tilted to one side. Then he gasped and realized what Lilly was trying to say. "Hook planted those. Jane can't be far from there!"

"Well hurry your bum up and go and find her!" commanded Lilly and practically shoved Peter out the entrance.

So it was Hook that she was sensing. She hoped with all her heart that Peter would find Jane before Hook would.

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"Jane! Jane! Jane, where are you!"

Jane was roused from her light sleeping with a voice yelling her name. Who was yelling for her? She was feeling too groggy to recognize it. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over. And then it felt like the voice was coming from above her.

"Answer me, Jane! Jane!"

It took her a few seconds, but she finally became conscious of who the voice belonged to. She shot into a sitting position and screamed at the top of her lungs, "PETER!"

The calling ceased and a shadow hovered in the sky next to the moon.

"I'm here, Peter!" she shouted and the figure came closer. Sure enough, there was Peter. He descended to the ground and came over to her. Kneeling beside her, he tried to catch his breath and Jane flung her arms around him.

"Where have you been, Peter?" she asked in relief more than frustration.

"I've been looking for you. We have to go now though. Hook's just near here," he rushed to get out. Jane looked down at her feet and touched one gently. Hissing in pain, she withdrew her hand and shook her head.

"I can't walk. My feet are badly burned."

"Then I'll carry you. But we must leave her at-"

His sentence was cut short by a much deeper and cocky voice.

"My, my, isn't this a surprise. Brought another child, have you, Peter?" said Hook as he came out of the forest with several other men behind him. The overly-confident look on his face made Jane want to slap him.

Peter grabbed Wendy and scooped her up into his arms. He hovered in the air for a second and glared at Hook malevolently. Just as he was about to make a break for it, a loud gunshot sounded and Peter fell from the sky. Jane screamed as blood seeped onto her white shirt. She knew it was going to get stained sooner or later. They landed on the ground with a rather unpleasant thump and a cry of pain with Peter on his back underneath Jane.

Hook took slow and careful steps toward the injured Peter. The girl rolled off Peter and tried to rouse him. His face was scrunched up in a look of excruciating pain and he was holding tightly to his left arm as blood leaked through his fingers. He looked over at Hook with pure loathing and sat himself up with a groan. Letting go of his hand, he reached for his knife and got ready for a battle with Hook.

"Fall back, men. This is between Pan and me now. Return to the Jolly Roger," he ordered and one by one, the members of the swashbuckling crew retreated. Then it was just Pan, Hook, and Parker. Hook threw down his gun and took out a long, thin sword. Both got into dueling stance. It had begun.

Swords clashed and clanged together and mouths traded insults back and forth. Jane sat and watched in horror. Peter wasn't fit to fight right now. Hook had a large advantage over him considering Peter's wound. She had to help somehow but 'how?' was just the question. She couldn't get up from the ground and nothing was in reach to throw. Unless she could bring herself to fly, she was of no help.

She had to fly. It was one longer an option. It was the **only **option. What kind of happy thought would she be able to conjure up at a time like this, though? Peter was in grave danger and she had merely seconds to come up with something cheery. She looked over at Hook who had the look of a victor in his eyes.

'He hasn't won yet. And he never will with me around,' Jane thought angrily and smiled at the thought of knocking his block off. She would have just loved to punch that smug little look off his face.

Then all of a sudden, she was no longer sitting on the ground. She was floating in the air, she was flying! However, she didn't waste time on celebration. Once she had her balance, she shot off at Hook's direction with her right hand geared to let loose a world of hurt. Hook turned his head just as she was approaching and his eyes widened just before Jane's knuckles went sailing into his cheek. Then, it was Hook's turn to fly! He flew right back a few feet right into the trunk of a strong oak. He grunted when he hit the tree but was totally out when he his body came in contact with the ground again.

"Ha! In your face, Hook!" Jane taunted to Hook's unconscious form. She turned around with a smile on her face to see Peter curled in a ball on the ground. She quickly flew over to him and realized Peter was crying.

"It hurts. It hurts so bad," he cried and he refused to move when she tried to get him to sit up.

"We have to get out of here, Peter. We have to go back to the hideout," she urged him and he shook his head.

"No, we gotta go to the Indians. I need them to help me. I can't feel my arm anymore, Jane!" he screamed the last part and his whole body shivered


	6. The Smerf

Chapter 6: The Smerf

Jane looked around nervously. The pirates could still be near by, hanging just far enough back to be out of the way. And when they're captain did not return after all of the commotion, they would most likely suspect something and come to investigate. Peter was nearly screaming and he would not get up from the ground. She asked him, she begged him, she commanded him to get up but he refused. The simple movement of sitting up was almost more than he could bear. Jane's heart just about split in two as she listened to Peter's cries, but she had no choice other than to take him to the Indians.

She whispered to him softly like you would to a frightened stallion and tried to suppress his agonizing wailing. After a short while, his crying died down enough to try to convince him to get up again. He finally agreed and she turned around (while still on her knees) and motioned for him to come closer. He looked at her strangely through pink, puffy eyes.

"Get on my back. I'm going to have to carry you. I'll fly us to the Indians," she explained and he did not object. Slowly but surely, he climbed onto her back and rested there for a moment.

After hoisting Peter on her back in a piggy-back style and conjuring up a happy thought (since walking was still not an option), she was finally able to go on. She had no earthly idea where she was going, though, so how was she expected to get anywhere?

"Peter? Which way are the Indians?" she whispered gently with a hint of urgency, to which he responded with a groan and nothing more. She needed him to guide her, but when he would not speak anything discernable as even a language, she felt herself become overwhelmed. Her heart raced and her breathing started getting shallow and she felt like if she kept this up then she'd be hyperventilating soon. There was no possible way that she could find the way on her own. Her directions were just a whimpering blob at the moment but she had to get something out of him. She just wanted a general direction. Then it hit her!

"Peter, when I ask you which way, lean to which ever way I should go. Like if I should go right then lean right and I'll understand. Can you do that?" she asked and Peter nodded weakly. His blood was draining out of his wound and his energy along with it. "Which way do we start with?"

He inclined slightly to the left and she headed off in that direction as quickly as she could fly. Flying was not easy with another load of dead weight on your back so she could not go very fast, but she had nothing to complain about. Peter had been the victim of a bullet. She would take being uncomfortable over being injured any day.

After a few minutes of leaning from side to side like using a steering wheel, Peter started responding less and less when she would ask for help. She was getting even more anxious and the tears pricked her eyes. She was becoming worried again and she knew that she couldn't afford to have a nervous breakdown right when she really needed to keep her head about things.

'_I'll never forgive myself if we don't get there in time. I need to get there!_' she thought desperately and shook him delicately to get his attention. She couldn't be too rough because she might upset him again and he'd go off into a fit of howling in the excruciating pain that he was feeling. He became alert again and leaned to one side and she obeyed. If they could keep their system working until they got to the Indians, then everything would be alright. However, Jane thought she might not be able to make it there. With every yelp and groan and whimper that Peter would release, she started gradually descending to the earth until she was barely a foot off the ground. If she went so low as to touch the ground, her feet would not keep them up and she would collapse, further harming herself and her friend.

'_I knew you couldn't protect anyone else. You can't even protect yourself_,' thought Jane, remembering his vow to take care of both of the girls. She shifted her passenger a little so he wouldn't slip.

Then Peter whispered, "Crow…"

"What?" questioned Jane.

"Crow. Crow loud," he forced out with much effort. He rested his chin on her shoulder and part of Jane felt happy to be this close to Peter, while the other realized that any move she made was putting him in even more pain. She stopped in mid-air for a moment and cleared her throat.

Deep breath and crow.

It came out more like a sick, retarded chicken than a proud rooster. Peter grinned against her shoulder in amusement because of how pitiful her first attempt had come out.

"Give me a break. It's been a long time since I crowed," defended Jane and she took another breath. This time, she was determined to crow so loud that all of Neverland could hear her. And that was damn near what it turned out to be. She stood a little straighter despite her heavy load and smiled proudly as she heard a faint echo.

The wind blew and rustled leaves on the ground and in the trees. The branches swayed, the clouds raced across the sky, and even the crickets got louder. It seemed as if everything around her was in motion. Her head would jerk in the direction of a strange sound and then to another in the other direction. Soon, she was spinning in a dizzy circle trying to keep an eye on everything. All of a sudden, something grabbed her from behind and was running and the weight of Peter was lifted off of her back. She panicked.

"Don't! Leave him alone!" she yelled and groped around in the dark to find the capturer. A brown and red blur in front of her cleared and became an Indian. The ruddy faced Indian glared at her angrily and slowly pulled out a small dagger from a leather sheath. It glinted in a very unfriendly way as the moonlight reflected off it. Trembling, Jane forced out, "What are you doing?"

Her mouth was agape and her whole body was frozen with fear. Even hey eyes refused to blink as she stared at the Indian. Cold, hard, dark eyes stared back with a fiery intensity that would have intimidated her… if they had belonged to a man. But crouching before her was a young girl. She couldn't have been older than 12, but Jane had a feeling that even though the girl didn't look it, she was someone to be feared.

They sat there for a moment or two in dead silence. The Indian girl knew no English and her captive was afraid to even bat an eyelash. The Indian eventually replaced the dagger in the leather carrying case and Jane felt much more at ease. She grabbed Jane by the arm and forced her up to her feet. Of course, Jane fell back and landed with a deep 'thud' on her butt with a yelp.

"OW! My feet!" cried the older girl as she rubbed her read, which was in pain as well. The Indian looked at her strangely and then bent down to examine the blister-covered soles with care. Jane looked up hopefully as if to ask for ideas on how to fix it. The Indian's face remained blank as she held out her arms once more.

"I can't get up and walk," responded Jane, shaking her head. The Indian outstretched her arms further and beckoned the other to come closer. She complied and waddled over on her knees. The native girl then swept Jane up and started running with her bridal style. Thick, black braids wrapped with thin leather cords kept smacking Jane in the face every once in a while and it was definitely not a smooth ride but she was grateful none the less. They just kept hoping they would soon reach their destination.

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This was IT! Lilly had been stuck in the secret hideout for what felt like an entire night! The nearly full moon was hanging high in the sky and was her only source of illumination as she emerged from behind the foliage in front of the hidden door. Bravely stepping into the shadows of the forest, Lilly ventured on to find her sister. The first few steps were slow and hesitant but the further she went, the faster her footsteps crunched through the bed of leaves. Her confidence was shatter, though, by a loud howl of some sort. It made her stomach nearly flip and then restrained her from moving. Terror streaked through her as she refused to go on, but now that she had journeyed this far, there was no sense in going back. Besides, what if Jane was still lost and in danger somewhere in the woods? That thought carried her a little farther until she heard a disturbance in the woods. Something was moving and moving quickly. Instinctively, she started running. Her short legs could not carry her far, however, and she was soon just barely jogging and then that reduced to walking until she was simply trudging along. Then, a faint smell of smoke filled her nose. Was something burning? It didn't seem like the kind of smoke from some out-of-control fire, but more like a campfire. She continued a little curiously and then heard voices. They were muffled and unfamiliar but Lilly didn't care. The signs of civilization were near and she rushed toward the sounds of voices with hopes that they could help her find Peter and Jane. Out of nowhere, a large tan object appeared. Of course, Lilly didn't realize it **had** appeared until she ran smack into it. It bounced her right back and she took a moment to try to figure out what had just hit her. She came closer to it and touched it experimentally. It was soft. She poked it lightly and it was taught like stretched material. Circling it to find an entrance, she came upon a raccoon-skin door with a sign displayed on it. In messy scrawl, it read:

"Merf Smerf: Director of Guns, Weapons, Demolition, Ammunition, and Anything Else that Pokes or Goes Boom"

Lilly cocked her head to one side as she read it.

"_That's a funny name,"_ she thought with a giggle. From inside someone was talking. A boy was talking. Carefully, she pulled back the raccoon skins and peeked inside. There was someone rummaging around in a sack and mumbling something to himself. All around there were boxes and bags and weapons littered upon the floor. The boy's head popped up out of the sack and pulled out a small, brown pistol. He played around with it a little and then turned around with it still in hand. He looked up and saw Lily peering in and fired the gun in alarm. Lilly screamed and squeezed her eyes shut and all was silent for a moment. With her eyes still shut, Lilly wondered to herself, "_Have I been shot?"_

She opened one eye to look around and the boy was still standing there and staring at Lilly with surprise evident in his face. The gun had smoke rising from the end and the boy blew it away and put the gun down on one of the large wooden boxes in the room. He was breathing deeply like he was out of breath.

"You **scared** me! Don't do that!" he spoke, a slight English accent mixed in with a much more common, sloppy pronunciation. His hair was a light brown and was tied back in a short ponytail. The front hung in front of his eyes and he would constantly sweep them away just for them to fall back into place again.

"Um… Hello," Lilly greeted as she stepped into the room. "I'm Lilly Parker. Who are you?"

"Didn't you read the sign? Smerf is the name. Call me Merf and I'll blow you up," he replied and stuck out a dirty hand. Lilly, a bit taken back at his last statement, looked at it for a second and then shook it cheerfully. He must have been at least a few inches taller than she.

"Nice to meet you Smerf! What is all this?" she motioned toward the clutter in the room.

"Oh, this? Guns, swords, powder, and some bombs. The basics, you know."

"Oh." She nodded as if she understood and agreed.

"What brings you here? Looking for some weaponry?"

"Well, not exactly. I was looking for my sister. She and I got separated and she's been missing for hours. I was worried about her."

"You probably won't find her here. This is the Indian camp. New people aren't usually very welcomed."

"Well, she might not have been by herself, you see. Peter was looking for her-"

"Peter Pan?" Smerf double-checked.

"Yes," said Lilly.

"Then I suppose you're about the luckiest girl in the world. Tiger Lilly and some others just found Peter and someone else. They said he was hurt pretty bad. His companion was alright though. Maybe you should go and check it out," Smerf informed. A rush with joy, Lilly squealed and ran out the door. Pushing past most bushes and trees, she discovered a clearing. Teepees and Indians were scattered throughout it and a large fire was in the center. Just behind her, Smerf caught up and urged her to follow him.

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A.N: Yes, it's been friggin' forever since I updated so I felt bad and finished this up. Merf Smerf is actually a character from pirate stories that all my friends write (we use all the same characters) and I must say thank you to Sarah Wimberley for she is the one who thought of the sign, not me. I give all the credit for that to her! I loved it so much I had to use it.

REVIEW! It helps me remember to keep writing.


	7. The Great Pan is Dead

Chapter 7: The Great Pan is Dead

Smerf lead Lilly to another teepee but stopped her before she got inside.

"Lilly, do you have any sort of fear of blood?" asked Smerf seriously.

"No," she answered quickly. She'd never been bothered by blood. Like the time Jane had accidentally sliced her hand with a kitchen knife. _"This wouldn't be much different, right?"_

Smerf nodded encouragingly and pushed aside the animal skin that served as a door. The first thing she noticed was Jane crouching over a limp figure on the bearskin floor and a plump Indian man next to her. She looked up when Lilly entered and rushed to her younger sister to hug her.

"Lilly! What are you doing here?" said Jane trying to sound authoritative but her voice shook with relief.

"I was worried about you so I went to find you and I met Smerf here and-"

She stopped in mid-sentence. She looked down and saw Peter, pale and motionless and surrounded by a puddle of blood. Lilly gasped and felt suddenly ill.

"Is that Peter?" whispered Lilly in disbelief. Jane hid her face with her own blood-covered hands and mumbled an answer. Lilly took a few steps closer and said, "What happened?"

"Hook shot him in the jungle," answered Jane.

Lilly looked to the Indian man for some sort of encouragement, but he gave none. He just lowered his head grimly. Standing over the body resting on the floor, she thought,_ "This **can not** be Peter Pan." _

Her stomach dropped when she spied the grotesque bullet hole on his arm. Blood was still flowing from it, though slowly, and the flesh around it was torn and mangled. Kneeling in the shallow pool of blood, Lilly touched Peter's face tenderly. He opened his eyes for a brief moment and she smiled joyously.

"He's alive! He's alive!" she exclaimed to the Indian. She looked up at Jane said, "He was only hit in the arm so he'll be alright, won't he? It didn't hit him where it could kill him."

It doesn't necessarily have to, Lil," Jane explained. By now, Peter had already shut his eyes again. "He can still bleed to death. And he's lost so much blood already. The medicine man has done all he can. There's nothing we can do right now."

"You're pessimistic!" hissed Lilly with a livid red face.

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being realistic."

Lilly wasn't listening, though. She was focused on her dear hero, who was looking worse by the minute. Then the unthinkable entered her mind. Was Peter Pan, the immortal adventurer… dead? Truly this could not be so. Everything in Neverland functioned as it should in a child's mind. Meaning good always triumphed over evil. The good guy always lived to celebrate and the bad guy died a horrible death. But now, Peter was just barely clinging to life and the supposedly dead Captain Hook was still roaming the seas. This was all wrong. This went against the very principle of fairytales. This contradicted justice and fairness. If Peter died, the whole world would turn inside out.

Tears began to fall freely down Lilly's face as she stared down at Peter, feeling her heart tearing apart. A small hand slipped through the seemingly lifeless fingers belonging to Peter Pan. Lacing her fingers with his, Lilly lowered her head and tried to conceal her tears. Jane watched from a little way's away, and felt her own tears threatening to explode from inside. But by crying and responding the way Lilly had, she'd be accepting his death and admitting that he was indeed gone.

"_He's not dead. He can't die,"_ she assured herself. The Indian medicine man bent his head down to listen for a heartbeat. When he sat up, his eyes were downcast and his face gravely serious. He put his hand over his heart and tapped his fingers like a rhythmic heartbeat. After a few beats, he stopped and then shook his head, making sure both girls saw.

Lilly leaned down and rested her forehead on his chest.

"Please wake up, Peter. Please," she pleaded as soft sobs escaping with her words. "I'm so happy with you, Peter. Don't make that go away. I'm not afraid with you. So I beg you, wake up!"

Jane covered her face and dropped to her knees in surrender. "He's gone…"

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Lilly stormed out of the medical tent with tears of anger and despair still in her eyes. A gust of icy cold air blew her hair about her face and she shivered.

"Jane is wrong. Peter doesn't die! I can bring him back!" she muttered (quite loudly) and in her rage, she wasn't watching where she was going. All of a sudden, she hit a body and bounced backwards onto the ground and looked up rather dejectedly at the interference. The kind, friendly face of Smerf sat before her and she apologized immediately.

"Quite alright, really. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either," he assured her as he brushed off some dirt from his clothes. When he stood back up, he held out a hand to help Lilly off the ground as well. "But if I may ask, what got you so fired up?"

Once standing again, the girl went on to tell Smerf that Peter's death. Smerf first went pale then reacted as Lilly had.

"There's no way! Pan wouldn't be killed by a gun, much less by that bastard Hook," he shouted.

"I agree. This is Neverland, after all! Is there anything we can do?" asked Lilly hopefully. The boy thought as hard as he could to come up with a solution while his female companion could do nothing but stare at him intently and wait. Then suddenly the light bulb flicked on.

"I've got it!" he yelled in delight. Jumping up and down blissfully, he whispered, "The mermaids."

"The mermaids? Why the mermaids?"

"The mermaids are the only ones who can do it. They have powers…"

"To bring people back to life?" clarified Lilly.

"Yes, of course! Only creatures so in touch with darkness can do something like that. But no time to lose! Let's go to Mermaid Lagoon."

With Smerf leading the way, both children scurried off into the jungle at full speed. However, the jungle looked subtly less green than before. It had turned a shade… browner. Noticing this, Lilly was slightly confused. Was the jungle dying?

"Smerf, how do you even know that the mermaids will help us? Aren't they supposed to be rather beastly creatures?"

"I don't know if they'll help us, but I know they'd help Peter."

"Isn't that the same thing?" said Lilly, trying to keep up in the very dark jungle. She was barely able to see Smerf to follow him.

"Not exactly. They wouldn't help us because they'd probably think us not worthy. But Peter, he's a different story. He's practically the god of Neverland. Even so, they rarely perform resurrections."

"How do you even know that they **can** perform it!"

"They were the ones who brought Hook back."

They stopped talking and kept traveling through the thick plant life to reach their destination.

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Head bowed and eyes shaded by hair, Jane cried. Peter's dead body lay before her, devoid of all warmth and color.

"Why did he die? How could Hook win? This shouldn't happen…_"_ she stuttered through her sobs. She crawled over to him and looked closely at his deathly white face and a new wave of guilt hit her. "I was too slow. I didn't get here in time. He would have been alive if I could have gotten her sooner. It's my fault that he's dead… It's all my fault."

Not caring that she was covered in his blood, Jane bent forward, kissed his cheek, and then laid down next to him still crying.

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A clearing was just up ahead, and Lilly was revitalized with the realization that they were almost to Mermaid Lagoon.

"Is that it up there?" she panted.

"Yeah," answered Smerf, who was just as out of breath as Lilly. "We're almost there! But be wary of the mermaids. They're enchanting but dangerous."

A moment later, they had stepped out into the clear and a large body of water lay before them. The black water reflected the black night sky but had a foreboding quality that made the little fair-haired Lilly feel uneasy. Smerf looked over his shoulder at her and smiled hopefully. They came closer to the water's edge and waited on the rocks for the mermaids to appear. It had gotten so cold after they were running that Lilly had to rub her arms to keep herself from shaking. Smerf was doing the same and the girl could see his bare calves turning into goose-flesh.

"I'm so cold," Lilly mumbled through chattering teeth. Smerf did nothing but nod as the wind blew his bangs out of his eyes.

In no time at all, there was a soft sound of singing like what she remembered when she had fallen in the water after she first arrived.

"That's them," she whispered.

"They're coming," Smerf whispered back. "Be ready."

The black water started to gleam with silver as the singing got louder. Both very anxious, Lilly grabbed Smerf's hand for comfort and he didn't really seem to notice. Closer and closer the silver mermaids swam until they suddenly stopped right in front of the rocks. For a moment, they didn't come to the surface, almost like they were contemplated whether they wanted to or not. Still, three or four mermaids finally popped their heads out of the water.

"Whaaaatt iissss iiiitt tthhhhaaaattt yyoouuuu wwwaaaannt?" hissed the first one.

"We need help," replied Smerf unsurely. Feeling his hands shaking, Lilly looked over at him nervously. She hoped that he was shaking from cold and not fear.

"Whhaaattt sssoorrrtt oooff hhheeeeelllp?" murmured another.

"Peter Pan has been murdered," announced Smerf and the mermaids gasped, whispering words of distress among themselves. "We need you to bring him back to life."

At first, none of the mermaid's answered. They hissed among themselves in their own language until the first one quieted them down. She turned to Smerf and Lilly and then said, "Yyooouuuuu aaasssssskk mmmuuuucchhh ooofff uuusssss."

"We know that you're the only ones who can do it. Please, for Peter's sake as well as your own, revive him."

"Yooouuu aarrree lyyyiinng. Peeetttteeerrr Paann caaaannnooot diiieee."

At that moment, a light dusting of snow started to fall calmly from the sky. Each mermaid looked up and hissed fretfully to the leading mermaid.

"Look! Now do you see? We need you to help us quickly!"

The leader looked upon Smerf another time and considered his request. Lilly, who was not willing to wait for a panel decision, stepped forward.

"Please…" she implored. "Save him."

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A/N: Whoo! Been a while, eh? Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things because after my author's note about discontinuing "Never More", I did get a couple responses saying they wanted me to continue. I'm trying to find my original outline for the story but even with it, I'm open to suggestions as to what you all want to see. REVIEW, loves!


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